Stillness
by Demona3870
Summary: S3 End Program.  No words can speak volumes.


_Stillness_

The door clicked shut. Leaning back, the sharp contrast of cold metal did nothing to soothe the feverish thoughts racing by. There was so much noise… the cheering, the laughing, the fireworks launched in celebration of the restart… all of it suddenly locked out in the silence of the room.

It was deafening.

Soft taps on the floor filled the room, followed by a muted brush of fabric from the couch cushion. A sigh, and the couch settling under the weight. Inhale. Exhale. Calm, steady.

Just take a moment. Enjoy the stillness. After so much time, finally, stillness.

Like beneath Mainframe, lost in the darkness of the echoing sounds of Mainframe's Level 31?

Like onboard _Ship_ while fleeing from the weapons platform under the undulating colors of the Web portal?

Like inside the War Room after the haunting call of the computer confirmed the game had been lost, its occupants nullified?

Like on the roof of the Principal Office, in the growing blackness of the powerless system as it faced absolute crash?

Like in the office, empty save for one sprite hidden from the joys of Mainframe's renewal… hidden because tomorrow those joys will be forgotten in the never ending battle for peace?

But there was no stillness in this office. The creak of the cushion, the gasp of breath, the low moans that attempted to be muffled by the hands covering the mouth that twisted in pain at the memories that wouldn't cease. The sounds of sadness broke through the stillness that meant to calm… and instead twisted the knife deeper.

Was this how it would be? Would every quiet moment be filled with the images of loss, death, destruction, hatred, war, pain, and sorrow? There had been so few… and every time had attached itself to a memory more hurtful than the last.

The muffled cries grew louder, the hands nearly unable to stop the heart-wrenching sobs that longed to burst free, to destroy the stillness. And yet, those hands represented the strength to carry on, to move forward, to fight until the very last. There was no time for tears, no time for reflection, no time for stillness. There hadn't been in Megaframe… and there wouldn't be now.

So those hands tightened, pressing deeply into the skin, refusing to let out the pain and suffering, because there was still more to come. To break the dam would only require more time to repair it, and there was no time for that.

Would there ever be time for such things again?

Deal with it later. Just like everything else. The loss, the pain, the fear, the anger, all of it, locked away in the stillness, kept in the dark, never to be acknowledged, because it would continue to chip away at that dam until nothing could stop the release.

Too late. It was already happening. Thundering in the ears, the memories were bursting through, the emotions saturating the heart and mind with crashing waves of pain. Tighter still those hands squeezed, trying to stop the sudden feeling of bursting in every direction…

Then the stillness was broken.

The mind registered the shift in atmosphere as the hands felt the gentle touch. The body froze in its quaking convulsions, the breath seized in the throat, and the hands pressed ever deeper… until they were eased away.

How quickly they fell, the strength gone from them. And beyond, Bob kneeled quietly.

In one simple look, he offered her strength. He communicated understanding, companionship, and compassion that she had been refusing herself for so long. Under the weight of his even stare, she felt her resolve crumble, her carefully built dam cracking and splintering away.

The nightmares came forth, and there was nothing to hold them back any longer.

She fell, and he caught her. The stillness of the room was shattered by the sobs that ripped from her throat, her anguish echoing off the walls and shaking them both to the core. Through the fury of her pain, Bob held on, refusing to let go.

But she let go. Every torment. Every doubt. Every regret. Every single event that caused her pain she released in her broken sobs, until there was nothing left but the strangled breaths of her strained throat. The flood had washed every thing away…

Slowly, the storm died away. Her breathing steadied, her eyes dried, and her heart resumed its even beat. In the quiet, she could again hear the rustle of the couch, the inhale and exhale of her breath, now mingled with those of the blue sprite who continued to embrace her.

The room had returned to stillness. Would the nightmares start again?

The couch creaked as she felt herself pushed back from Bob, far enough for his face to look upon hers. His hand brushed back her hair behind her ear, settling along her cheek where his thumb wiped away the last tear trails.

Again, stillness.

Again, the dam was built. Again, the memories collected behind its sturdy wall. Again, the stillness triggered those memories.

But this time, there was no pain.

This time, there was Bob.

As if understanding this realization, he pulled her to him, his lips capturing hers in a tender kiss that stopped her heart, and the rest of the world with it.

She hoped the stillness would never end.

Author's note: Don't panic, _A Crime Of Passion_ is still being diligently worked on, and I expect to have the next chapter up by the end of the week. I just had a sudden urge for something romantic, and I can't fit that into CoP at this exact moment, so I needed to vent.

Hope you enjoyed. Happy President's Day!


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